Bonne nuit, m'sieur
by midnightstaaarlight
Summary: She stole his eyes and he has never looked back. (Modern AU) EDIT: I changed the title! :)


It was one of those rare nights where Grantaire is drunk yet still miraculously on his feet and somber, even after spending the whole night clutching bottles of wine for dear life. But though he may be somber, Enjolras still doesn't trust him to get back to his flat in one piece.

"You know, Enj…" Grantaire started but stopped suddenly as bile rose up from his stomach. He threw up, missing Enjolras' shoes by an inch.

"Damn it, R! How many bottles did you drink?!" Enjolras made a disgusted face and stepped away from the vomiting Amis.

Grantaire straightened up and wiped his mouth with the back of his hand, "Three."

Enjolras squinted at him, "Liar."

"Okay, fine. I had five." He had managed to get out before bending over and vomiting again.

"Ugh." Enjolras pulled the hem of his shirt over his nose and stroked his friend's back.

"Come on, R. Let's get you home."

* * *

"Are you sure you can climb three flights of stairs on your own?" Enjolras asked as he watched his friend stumble up the steps to his apartment door.

"Sheesh, Enjolras, I'm not a two year old!" Grantaire waved a dismissive hand at his friend and reached for the knob with the other. But before he even laid his hand on the knob, the door flew open, knocking Grantaire to the side and out came a girl in a gray jumper.

Grantaire grunted as he stumbled backward and landed on his ass. Enjolras suppressed a laugh. He looked over at the girl who was still standing by the door; she had a hand clamped over her mouth. There were tear stains on her tiny face and her right cheek was bright red.

"Grantaire, I'm so sorry." She quickly apologized and dashed out into the night. Enjolras stared questionably after the girl.

"You alright?" Enjolras asked Grantaire as he pulled the latter to his feet.

"Yeah."

"Who's she?"

"FUCK OFF ENJ, SHE HAS A BOYFRIEND"

Enjolras was taken aback, "What? I just asked you what her name was! What the hell is wrong with you?"

Grantaire laughed and clapped Enjolras' shoulder, "Her name's Éponine. She lives on the floor above mine with her ass of a boyfriend, Montparnasse." He scoffed.

Grantaire further explained to his friend that he and Éponine had been friends for a few months now and that she had ran away from home because her parents abuse her. Then she met Montparnasse, she was happy with him at first but then he started beating her. But Éponine never told him the reason behind Montparnasse's beatings.

Enjolras thought hard, "Then why hasn't she broken up with him?"

Grantaire shrugged, "Who the fuck knows?! But I told her that once, she took my advice but she wouldn't tell me what happened. I'm guessing she got threatened and was beaten to a pulp to never speak of such things ever again. But you see, Enj, I don't really care about that right now, I just wanna sleep."

Enjolras sighed as he watched his friend drag himself inside his room.

"Go wash yourself before going to bed! You smell like puke!" He called just as Grantaire slammed the door shut.

"FUCK YOU, ENJOLRAS!" Grantaire called from the other side of the door, to which Enjolras just shook his head.

He exited the apartment and saw that the girl was seated under a street lamp from across the street. Enjolras can't help but feel sorry for her. She never asked nor did she know that her life would turn out this way.

He shoved his hands inside the pockets of his jeans and crossed the street to where Éponine was. She was hugging her knees to her chest and had her head resting on them, a sob racking her whole body.

"Mademoiselle?" Enjolras asked hesitantly.

"Go away, R." She said, not even looking up to make sure whether or not it was Grantaire whom she was actually talking to.

Enjolras shifted his weight to one leg and cleared his throat. This time, she raised her head and blinked away the tears to look at him.

"I don't need your pity, m'sieur." She glared up at him.

"Call me Enjolras." He gave her a smile but all he got in return was a snort.

"I don't care! Just please leave me alone!" She screamed at him and buried her head between her knees once more.

He doesn't know why but he feels that he needs to know everything about this broken girl on the pavement. About her life, why her parents abused her and why on earth she still bothers with her asshole of a boyfriend and he's not leaving until he gets her to talk to him.

And so, he sat down beside her on the pavement. Her body trembled as another fit of sobs racked through her body. He waited for a few minutes before speaking to her again.

"Why are you crying?" He asked quietly, though he already has a hint of the reason.

She tilted her head toward him, her eyes red from all that crying, "Why do you care?"

"To be honest, I don't really know. But I do know that talking about it would make you feel better. And also, it feels wrong to just leave a girl crying in the street. You could get killed, you know?"

"Death would be better than this hell of a life I'm living." She took a few deep breathes to calm herself down and wiped her tears with the sleeves of her jumper.

"Tell me." He said as he hands her his handkerchief. She eyed him but took it from him reluctantly.

"But I don't even know you," she fidgeted with his handkerchief and blew her nose.

"Would you tell me your story if I told you mine?"

She smiled half-heartedly, "I guess it wouldn't hurt."

And so, he told her about himself. That his full name was Alaine Enjolras, though everyone calls him Enjolras. And that his family is in the wine industry and had been good friends with Grantaire since the day he caused a ruckus in one of their wine shops. He told her about Les Amis de l'ABC – a political organization in their university – which he headed. And that he's majoring in political science in the same university.

"_Alaine?_ Are you kidding me? But that's a girl's name!" She was laughing now and he can't help but smile.

"_That_ is why I prefer to be called Enjolras." He looked at her and it's like he's looking at an entirely different person. Her whole face lit up and the poor broken girl on the pavement was replaced by a beautiful young woman.

"Now, tell me – HEY! Where are you going?!" His hand flew up to grab her wrist and tugged her back down. She winced and he loosened his grip on her.

"I'm sorry, did I hurt you?" He asked and noticed her pulling down on her sleeves.

She shook her head. He had stood by then and took her hand in his, she watched him warily. Her carefree attitude just a few moments ago was gone. He looked at her as if to ask permission and she nodded. He carefully slid the left sleeve of her jumper up with one hand and stared at the bruised skin underneath.

"Did he do this to you?" He whispered. She looked up at him – her eyes full of unshed tears– and nodded.

"Will you tell me why?"

She bit her lip, "Yes, but not here."

He raised an eyebrow.

"Let's go for a walk." She gave him a small smile and proceeded to walk, expecting Enjolras to follow.

"So, uhm, where are we going?" Enjolras asked after a minute of silence.

"To the only place in this world that I don't hate."

Éponine led him through the streets of Paris and stopped in front of the gates of Jardin d'Acclimatation. A small smile tugging at the corner of her lips.

"It's locked." Enjolras pointed out.

"Of course, it's locked. It's past midnight." She sat down on the cold cement with her back against the gate. Enjolras did the same and waited for her to speak.

Éponine closed her eyes, lost in thought. "When I was young, my parents loved me; they treated me like a princess." She smiled at the memory, "and we used to go here every year on my birthday."

"We owned an inn in Montfermeil and we made fairly good money from it. When I was 7, I found out how my parents acquire so much money despite the fact that our inn was not popular. Aside from the payments our guests pay, they also steal from them anything and everything they can. They would steal hats, briefcases, and even dentures. I asked them why they do it and they said it was for fun. I was young. So I played along. I would help them steal; sometimes I would sit on the lap of rich women and wrap my tiny arms around their neck just to unclasp their necklace and slip it into the chest pocket of my dress."

"Everything changed when Cosette was taken away from us."

Éponine cracked open an eye, just in time to see the look of confusion painted across Enjolras's angelic face.

"She's the same age as I am, and she sorta was our servant. She did everything for us. She would clean the inn and did all the household chores without any complaints. My sister and I used to torment her, you know, just for fun." She let out a short laugh.

"Then one day, a man came and paid for her. My parents couldn't resist, it was money after all. So they gave her away, and that's when it turned to hell for me and my sister. Without Cosette to boss around, our parents started mistreating us. Papa would kick me hard if I failed to steal a bracelet. Mama would slap Azelma if she failed to sweep the floors. Just as when I thought everything would soon be all right, that mama and papa would stop hitting us and love us once more, our inn got bankrupt. It was all due to papa's drinking addiction and mama's constant gambling."

"We had no choice but to sell the inn for a meager price and took our chances here in Paris. Azelma ran away after a few months here and my father became a notorious thief. He would bring me along to his rackets and if I fail to steal, well, you know what happens." She had opened her eyes by then and was staring into the void.

"I ran away from home when I was 18, and then I met 'Parnasse." She smiled ruefully.

"Your boyfriend, I assume." Enjolras said though he already knows the answer.

"Yes, he was sweet and charming and he told me he'd protect me and never hurt me. He was at first, but then he got involved in a gang, Patron-Minette, I'm sure you've heard of them?" she looked at him and he simply nodded, hearing the name of the infamous gang sent a chill down Enjolras's spine.

"I don't know what they did to 'Parnasse, but since then he started going home late and beating me. I ran away once, but his gang tracked me down. He told me that if I ever did that again, he'd track me down himself and kill me." She wiped her tears with Enjolras's handkerchief and continued, "I don't want to live with him anymore, but I'm too scared to run way. He'll find me and kill me, I know he will."

She was sobbing once more, remembering about everything hurt her. Seeing Éponine cry and cough and desperately take in air as if it was going to be her last made Enjolras shove his rule of never giving physical comfort to the back of his mind and pulled her to his chest and started tracing soothing circles across her back.

"I'm sorry I made you tell" He whispered against the crown of her head, "but thank you though, for being brave and telling me." And he felt her nod against his chest.

He stroked her hair held her as her sobs quieted down to occasional sniffles. Éponine pulled away from him and wiped the last of her tears away.

"I'm sorry I soiled your shirt." She gave him a small smile, to which he just shrugged and smiled in returned.

Enjolras stood and pulled Éponine gently to her feet. "Come on, I'll walk you home," he felt her wrap her tiny hands around his elbow and rested her head against his arm.

"You were right." Éponine said as soon as they arrived in front of her apartment.

"What do you mean?"

"That sharing would make me feel better. Just please promise me never to tell anyone," She smiled a side smile up at him.

His frowned, "I thought R knew…"

"He knows, but not everything. I've never told anyone my whole story before. Not even to 'Parnasse,"

"Well, I am honored then." And he does feel honored. He smiled and watched her walk up the stairs, just to turn back towards him.

"Goodnight, monsieur Enjolras." She smiled, and this time her smile reached her eyes. And it was radiant and he made a mental note to always make sure he'd see that smile.

"Goodnight, mademoiselle Éponine." He smiled and she gave a little wave before closing the door.

Enjolras shoved his hands into his pockets and started walking to his own flat, promising himself that he would see her again. And maybe, just maybe, he'd be the one to save her.

* * *

**A/N:** I am not quite happy about this fic... Apologies! D:

Inspired by Vegas Skies - The Cab. And the actual story behind the song. Go and listen to it. Go go go!

Anyway, I still haven't read The Brick like what kind of fan am I right?! but I've already saved enough money to buy my own copy :)

Also, I suck at titles. Titles are the bane of my existence and SUMMARIES! FREAKING SUMMARIES!1!1

Thank you for reading, lovelies. Please do review :3


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